It seems like legendary singer Mick Jagger has had more than his share of brushes with death over the years. He’s seen it all, from drugs to ex-girlfriends. But there is one such close call that was a complete secret until it was uncovered by BBC Radio: The planned attack on the Rolling Stones frontman which took place at the height of their fame in the early 1970s.
It was the Hells Angels who put the hit out on Jagger. According to a former FBI agent, they planned to assassinate the singer at his holiday home in the Hamptons. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful.
Terry the Tramp
Terry the Tramp was a well-known member of the Oakland, California charter of the Hells angels. He appeared in the film Hells Angels 69 and is mentioned several times in Hunter S. Thompson’s book Hells Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. Terry grew to fame in his time in the club under President Sonny Barger. He was famous for his drifting lifestyle, massive size, and love of partying.
Sadly, he passed away from a drug overdose in 1970 at the young age of 30. He is still remembered fondly at the club and is considered a model of what a true Hells Angel should be like.
Yves “Apache” Trudeau
Yves Trudeau, or as he was also known “The Mad Bumper”, was a former member of the Canadian charter of the Hells Angels in Laval, Quebec. Trudeau was addicted to cocaine, which led to his increasing paranoia and belief that other club members had it in for him. Those fears drove him to become an informant for the government.
Trudeau made a deal in which he would give information and in exchange would receive leniency. He admitted to killing 43 people between September 1973 and July 1985 and received life in prison but with the possibility of parole after only seven years. He was released in 1994 and given a new name but was arrested again in March 2004 for sexually assaulting a young boy and was sentenced to four more years inside. While serving his sentence he was diagnosed with cancer and moved to a different jail.
Attack by Sea
The plan they hatched was to sneak up on Jagger from the sea without being seen. Even though the Hells Angels are a pretty tough crew, they are far from trained assassins.
BBC presenter Tom Mangold, who uncovered the unbelievable story for a Radio 4 series on the history of the FBI elaborates, “They planned the attack from the sea so they could enter his property from the garden and avoid security at the front.”
Derailed by Stormy Weather
The story then took an even crazier twist. The men were prepared to attack and were traveling by boat to Jagger’s home when a gigantic storm suddenly hit. All of the men were launched out of the boat and into the water. “A group of them took a boat and were all tooled up,” Mangold said.
“But their boat was hit by a storm and all of the men were thrown overboard.” Mick Jagger certainly had lady luck on his side that day.